1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a true spiral football and, more particularly, to a football of essentially conventional construction but with a weight patch formed interiorly of the panels at a location diametrically opposed from the lacing to eliminate the off center, rotational weight of the lacing and associated components when a spiral pass is thrown.
2. Description of the Background Art
Current American footballs are constructed with a one piece, inflatable, generally elliptically-shaped, bladder which is covered by four generally oval-shaped panels seamed together along their edges. One of the seams is not stitched along a central extent thereby forming an opening to allow the bladder to be inserted to within the panels during fabrication. After insertion, the opening is closed through lacing and associated components. As a result, a football is not symmetrically weighted around its periphery due to the concentration of weight in the area of the lacing. Consequently, when a pass is thrown which spirals about its longitudinal axis, the concentration of weight at the lacing results in rotational forces which cause the ball to move in other than a straight path of travel.
Footballs do not contain anything to promote the throwing of a true spiral pass. No additional components such as a weighting system has ever been placed within the construction of the panels of a football to stop the effect of the offset weight in the lacing area so as to facilitate a true spiral pass.
Various devices are commercially used or are disclosed in the patent literature for facilitating the true spiraling of footballs or for improving the seam area of balls, including footballs. By way of example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,884,466 and 4,003,574, both to McDonald, disclose techniques for throwing a true spiral. McDonald's footballs, however, rely upon a central longitudinal passage for improving flight characteristics. U.S. Pat. Nos., 3,475,027; 3,508,750 and 3,512,777, all to Henderson, disclose a game ball seam with raised areas and with inwardly directed depressions adjacent to the raised seams. Covering sections are provided on the surface of the ball between the seams. Nothing is directed to improving football spiraling. Other seaming arrangements are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,653,818 and 3,948,518 to Tibbits. But as in the Henderson patents, a multi-layer seam is placed at all seams thereby failing to counter-balance the single area of the lacing. Again, nothing is directed to improving football spiraling. Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,462,590 to Mitchell discloses a game ball with padding and enlarged seams, the padding adapted to increase the holdability of the ball when throwing or catching. Once again, nothing is directed to improving football spiralling.
As evidenced by the above-referred to patents, as well as other commercial devices, a wide variety of devices have been designed with modifications in the seam or other areas for use in improving game balls or the ability to throw a spiral pass, but not of a conventional football. No prior patent or commercial device, however, is directed to a device as disclosed and claimed herein.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an American football comprising an inflatable, one piece bladder formed in a generally elliptical shape and fabricated of an elastomeric material; four panels secured together over the bladder, each panel being of a similar, generally oval shape with inturned edges secured together by stitching to form four seams; an essentially inextensible liner formed of four liner components, each liner component being of a similar, generally oval shape with inturned edges secured together and to an associated panel by stitching to form four seams, the liner components being located between the panels and the bladder; an opening formed centrally along a part of one seam at a location where the panels and liner components are not stitched; lacing located along the opening to couple the inturned edges in place of the stitching; closure means comprising two patches and a tongue located between the bladder and liner components, the patches being stitched to the liner components and panels on opposite sides of the opening, the tongue being stitched to a liner component and panel and extending to a location between the bladder and patches; and a counter weight of an elastomeric material, and of a size and shape substantially equal to that of the lacing and closure means molded to the bladder external thereof along the seam of the panels opposite the lacing.
It is a further object of the present invention to facilitate the throwing of true spiral passes with an American football.
It is a further object of the invention to place a weight inside the panels of a football to counter balance the nonsymmetrical weight caused by the lacing and associated components.
A further object of the present invention is to counteract the effects of the weight caused by components associated with the lacing region of the football.
The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent objects of the invention. These objects should be construed to be merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the intended invention. Many other beneficial results can be obtained by applying the disclosed invention in a different manner or modifying the invention within the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the summary of the invention and the detailed description of the preferred embodiment in addition to the scope of the invention defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.